It's an annual ritual in the Liu household to huddle around the newly received school photographs - it's like our unique version of family bonding. Let me tell you, this process takes place without fail every year;

1. The informer announces the arrival of the photographs (ie. me)

2. Parents instantly drop their pots and pans, leaving the lonely buckchoys searing away as they swarm towards the photos.

3. Gasp and condemn the overwhelming number of Asians in our grade and how Asians are infesting our land.

4. Scrutinize every individual in the grade whilst commenting on their appearances.

5. Add some snide remark about Murali being very tall and dark LOL (KIDDINGS BRO)

6. Eyes light up as they recognise Eric, yet agin. In context, this is executed in this ecstatic manner:

HEY THAT'S ERIC! =DDDDDDDDD *points at Eric and smiles proudly*

Yeah my parents perceive the act of knowing all my friends as a great achievement.

7. Gushes on about Trang as they are completely mesmerized by her beauty. TRANG, MY PARENTS TELL ME HOW PRETTY YOU ARE EVERY YEAR LOL.

8. Ask where Michael Lin is.

9. Ask where Jonathan Chan is.

10. Ask who is good at sport as they examine the innocent faces that are smiling back at them, evaluating whether appearance is an accurate reflection of athleticism.

11. Laugh at those smart people who fit the stereotypical "nerdy asian" appearance. I swear my dad is so cruel. I remember at last year's Recognition assembly, he laughed at some nerd who got the Maths award. =='

12. Criticise my gradual demotion towards the font row, sigh and shake their heads in disappointment as their hopes of having a tall daughter is crushed mercilessly.


--

SO 2010, ACCORDING TO MR & MRS LIU:

1. Trang is very pretty.

2. Josh and Jimmy look the same.

3. On second thoughts, Josh has a longer face.

4. Josh looks pretty good.

5. _______ has funny hair. *Explodes into laughter*

6. Daniel Goh looks pretty good. And wow his hair is very spiked.

7. Jono Chan looks sporty.

8. There are 12 non-Asians in our grade. (They actually counted)

9. ERIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (:

10. Rohan is very white for a curry.

11. Ewy looks different but maybe it's because of her hair.

12. Lynette looks very healthy and tank as always.

13. Damien looks like some gangsta from the Italian mafia. (until I told them that his glasses were transitions)


And more..



Oh yeah, I told my dad that Sajuna used to take photos of himself carrying a gun and wearing a balaclava, and now whenever he sees a picture of Sajuna he's like "HEY LOOK THAT'S THE TERRORIST!" Sorry Sajuna aha.

Tell me if your parents are accustomed to annual-school-photo-critiquing as well!




xx
Betty.
(get ready for a boring post, thanksbye)



There are days of self-reflection, discovery and realization which we all go through.. eventually. Like finally starting to get a true idea of what you want to make of this life. I don't think I've ever had so many thoughts running through my mind ever! It's so complicated and hard to explain because not everyone's going through the same mental journey (?) you are, and much of the time thoughts just go around in circles an circles and circles and even you end up being confused by yourself.

Harder still, how on earth do you put these trailing thoughts into bloody words? Everything sounds so doubtful and unbelievable in the cynical minds of others.. because they're not streamlined to what you're thinking. And because before you used to be one of those cynics, making snide remarks, which only calls for more cynism. And sometimes because of this you feel like there are some things you should swallow instead of spew, just to avoid all the messy misinterpretation and explaining.

But I am truly so glad. Because looking back at what used to be motivating:

- popularity
- earning/getting money to spend on sexy clothes
- being smartEST
- attention from boys
- making hair look as cool as possible (by spending 20 minutes on it everyday)
- being the prettiest in the class
- getting the biggest number of loves on bebo by pretending to love everyone else (LOOOL)

don't seem so great afterall, because none of them last! Not saying, ofcourse, that none of that matters and I'm going to go pov and dress like a douche and go unsocial, but you get the idea.
Watching a sister in the maturing process also makes the realization hit a bit harder... hah..

In conclusion... er what's my conclusion. Just some thoughts I guess. It may not make sense to most of you but WHATEVS ESHAYZZZ.

:P
I MISS THOSE PEOPLE THAT DITCHED US FOR RUSE.
='(



xx
Remember those fads that we went through when we were little?

Those good ol' times where you were so occupied every recess & lunch, slamming that goddamn tennis ball like Nadal in a Grand Slam, your orgasmic screams of ecstasy (its frequency enough to rival Maria Sharapova's high-pitch, glass-shattering shrieks) ringing throughout the playground as you progress from one square to the next, and the tears of joy that well up in your eyes, much like Roger Federer, as you land on Ace while the bell rings - signifying the high caliber of your handballing skills.

I think that handball is most perpetuating fad of all times. To put it simply, it cannot be merely labelled as a "fad." Handball is much like black dresses; it's a classic and will never be out of fashion. Just look at the Baulko quad at recess & lunch. At the ring of the bell, the playground is instantly transformed into a handball battlefield, with midget year 7 kids tolling their wheelie bags as they race towards the geometric squares to seize their territory. It's all business from there, the searing intensity ablaze in their eyes as they..


SMACK THAT, ALL ON THE FLOOOOR

SMACK THAT, GIVE ME SOME MOREEEEE

SMACK THAT, TILL YOU GET SORE

SMACK THAT, OH OH OH OHHHHHHHHHH

--

And what about those unanimous chants of HACK IT HACK IT HACK IT HACK IT that waft throughout the playground? Unrestricted by yellow or red cards & the modern technology of Hawk Eye, it's often difficult to judiciously reinforce the rules of the game. However, this obstacle is quickly overcome through hollering of "YOU'RE OUT!" followed by a string of profanities by the players & the spectators (sometimes in Chinese - a emerging trend at Baulko). See the unifying effect of handball? Handball is what brings different cultures together, as evident in the multicultural nature of Baulko, and allows friendships to blossom. It's what ends wars & cures cancers.

Alas, yes. The inconvenient truth is that innately, we're all worshippers of handball. Can you picture that fateful day when handball was invented? The sales of tennis balls rising at a exponential rate & the shares of Wilson, Head & Rebel Sport skyrocketing to beyond imagination. You know what caused the Wall Street crash? Yeah, it's the unstoppable sales of handballs which caused the consumption of all other leisure materials to plummet into obscurity. Even John Lennon dedicated his song to handball;

Imagine there's no countries

It isn't hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people

Living life playing handball...

--

A few trends followed handball but none had the capacity to fill the shoes of its predecessor. The trading of Pokemon & YuGiOh cards as a commodity came and gone like seasons and scoobydoos?! (wtf were those fucking strings?) were no match for the dominance of Handball. I remember when my school imposed a ban on all YuGiOh & Pokemon cards as people began trading them for cash, an act which apparently gave birth to teenage gambling. However, the prohibition of Pokemon/YuGiOh cards weren't successful in stamping out the proliferation of card-trading, as it merely pushed those desperate kids into black market dealings, bribes & underground sex trade. Nah I'm just kidding, but once the teacher actually found some kid's cards & burnt them all. How scary! I was so scarred. ='(

And what about those plastic bands that we adorned on our wrists as a fashion accessory? Oh man, they were pretty big too. They were the symbol of "coolness" and defined the social hierarchy of school. There was this girl from my 'old school' that wore so many bands that it ran from her wrist all the way up to her elbows - what a investment to raise your social status. O_O

Aha right now, you're prolly thinking, what caused this onslaught of nolstagia? Well last night, with Daniel Goh's "brb dota" followed by "brb maplestory" & Trang being engrossed in her Minesweepers game, I was left wondering what the trends for little kids were. So here's my question to you (espcially to anyone who has brothers/sisters still in primary school):


WHAT IS THE FAD THESE DAYS?

WHAT'S "IN"?

WHAT'S THE HOT GOSSIP? ;)



(Whoever says G-Dragon or something along those lines are immediately subject to spontaneous combustion, so please refrain from doing so).



xx.

Betty.
Don't you guys reckon that Kristen Stewart

always looks like a druggo?
You know what I think? Sometimes we'll just look back and think wow, wtf was I thinking. This is the prime example of how, sometimes you can make yourself believe in something. LOL THIS IS LIKE WHEN I WAS SHOT IN THE HEAD alright? So don't judge me.. And it ended after like a week LOL.


--

9/09/2009 7:36:26 PM - betty: you know
9/09/2009 7:36:29 PM - betty: is this gna sound weird
9/09/2009 7:36:31 PM - betty: but I never knew
9/09/2009 7:36:33 PM - betty: how cute PERSON X looked
9/09/2009 7:36:35 PM - betty: OK THIS IS
9/09/2009 7:36:38 PM - betty: REALLY WEIRD
9/09/2009 7:36:40 PM - betty: SORRY
9/09/2009 7:37:08 PM tonia: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
9/09/2009 7:37:30 PM tonia: ooh, is this the spawning of a new crush? ;D
9/09/2009 7:38:50 PM - betty: LOL I DNO
9/09/2009 7:38:50 PM - betty: NO
9/09/2009 7:38:51 PM - betty: its not
9/09/2009 7:38:57 PM - betty: pshh I cant be
9/09/2009 7:39:01 PM - betty: maybe its just
9/09/2009 7:39:03 PM - betty: I really lack company
9/09/2009 7:39:04 PM - betty: LOL
9/09/2009 7:39:16 PM tonia: we'll see though we'll see =]
9/09/2009 7:39:21 PM tonia: and im sure that if it is,
9/09/2009 7:39:26 PM tonia: you really do have a chance
9/09/2009 7:39:33 PM tonia: ive never talked to him bfore ever
9/09/2009 7:40:57 PM - betty: lol me neither
9/09/2009 7:40:59 PM - betty: like I have
9/09/2009 7:41:04 PM - betty: but not alot ? if you know what I meaan
9/09/2009 7:41:14 PM - betty: I dno he just came when I was at myer
9/09/2009 7:41:17 PM - betty: and we ate lunch and all
9/09/2009 7:41:35 PM tonia: ;D first date aye
9/09/2009 7:41:45 PM tonia: but yeah, he seems like a pretty nice guy
9/09/2009 7:41:53 PM - betty: lol yeah he is
9/09/2009 7:41:53 PM tonia: i dont think he sounds anything like P11
9/09/2009 7:42:03 PM tonia: so dont worry about mistaking him for [removed for safety purposes]
9/09/2009 7:42:46 PM - betty: LOLOLOL
9/09/2009 7:42:50 PM - betty: he's not [removed for safety purposes] xD
9/09/2009 7:42:51 PM - betty: thankgod
9/09/2009 7:42:58 PM - betty: but yeah I DNO LOL
9/09/2009 7:43:01 PM - betty: I think I'm just tired

--

Just tired? Or been smoking too much? ==' LOL you guys can never guess who this person was.



xx
Disclaimer: my apologies to the couples mentioned in this blog! It's just for entertainment purposes only so PLEASE DO NOT SUE ME.

--

I tell you what's the worst feeling in the world?

..



No, it's not receiving a B in your exam or accidently grunting at your crush, but rather ..

BEING A 3rd WHEEL.


OMGSH. I swear I had the worst 3rd wheel experience in the history of tricycles. It dates alllll the way back to last year's Valentines Day. Yes, out of all the days I could be a 3rd wheel, I chose THAT day. The day where couples shower each other with pointless gifts, flowers with a lifespan of half a day, and cards which will be in shreds once the breakup occurs.

Anyways, I've never had much of a problem with my residence at singleton, until AFTER SCHOOL THAT DAY, when I have to follow a CERTAIN FRIEND OF MINE to Carlingford Village for sketching classes. Guess who was waiting at the top of the escalator in a sea of red roses with a crimson red box in hand when we arrived at Carlo? Yeah that's right. Her boyfriend.

OH HELL HATH NO FURY.

Us three sat near the glass wall, looking out into the bustling streets with cars streaking by, blurry in the drizzling rain. Obviously we weren't all sitting together - the seating arrangement pretty much went like this:


GirlBoy ------------------------------Me ='(


--

I was like an island.

Then they proceeded to feed each other cake, and at one point it was uncertain whether they were eating the cake or engulfing each other instead. I clutched my large sketching folder a little tighter as I mustered all my strength to remain seated and focus on the passing cars, their windshield swipers working on overtime. The gloomy skies fuelled my isolation and in my mind, I was silently screaming " FUCK THIS IS THE WORST FUCKING VALENTINES DAY I'VE EVER FUCKING HAD."

But it's alright, because due to that experience, I now wake up on every Valentines Day with a smile, knowing that no matter how bad it'll be, it will at least exceed the near-fatal experience I endured on the 14/2/10. My resistance is akin to the antibodies in our bodies: once affected, a defence system is developed and I become immunised to this 3rd wheel disease.

Or so I thought.

It turns out this 3rd wheel disease is inescapable for me. It follows me wherever I go, infiltrating my every defence like a plague. It caught up to me today, being third wheel YET AGAIN as two of my friends huddled cosily on the sofa while I was left to rot in my little corner. ='( Life can be so cruel. Thankfully, my ambulance arrived soon enough and I was transported out of there in a stretcher. No physical harm done.

.. Just emotionally.

The moral of the story is, being a 3rd wheel sucks BIG TIME.

So if the situation arises that your friend asks you to hang with her/him & their significant other - DON'T DO IT. I can guarantee you now, picture the worst feeling you've ever felt and multiply that by 293902809283 times, that's what you'll be feeling by the time you emerge, if you're lucky to escape unscathed at all.



xx.

Betty.
Since I have all the time in the world right now, I have taken a liking to watch Sunrise every morning. I know, pretty sad right, but it's good to hear the same news and weather report being repeated every half an hour and watching that James Tobin guy crack the LAMEST JOKES IN THE WORLD. Seriously, I thought I was lame until I laid my eyes on that guy.

So the other morning, they were saying how Who magazine has listed the top 25 most beautiful people in 2010. Guess who graced the cover?




No, you're not hallucinating. It is Dannii Minogue.


"WHAT THE FUHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHK" as you may proclaim in your mind. THE TOP 25 MOST BEAUTIFUL? Are you shittin' me bro?



HER FACE MAKES HER LOOK LIKE SHE

OVERDOSED ON BOTOX -

IT'S STRETCHED TO THE MAX

AS SHE UNSUCCESSFULLY ATTEMPTS TO

SMOOTHEN OUT HER WRINKLES.

I'm sorry but even Loreal's 7 Signs of Aging cream can't save her. *sigh* Everytime Sunrise covers that story YET AGAIN, I have this uncontrollable urge to throw a banana at the TV. The only reason she looks reasonable on the cover is because countless photo editors spend hours with their eyes glued on photoshop as they enlarge her face to like 120x to erase all her wrinkles. Now, having photoshopped Hilary Clinton's wrinkles (and I know that Jerry, Josh and the rest of my PDM class would agree with me), IT IS AN EXTREMELY tedious task, and I express my utmost sympathies to those photo editors. Even staring at Hilary Clinton for hours is better than exmining Dannii Minogue's face. Okay well maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but Dannii Minogue's face is like the embodiment of one of Madame Tussaud's wax figures. EURGH.

Surely they can find hotter people out there?



"Other locals in the stunning gallery include Rose Byrne, Sam Worthington, Teresa Palmer, Kate Ritchie, Liam Hemsworth, singer Lisa Mitchell and newsreader Chris Bath."


Guess not.

Okay my eyes are getting scarred now from the picture above so I'll just end it here. Happy Easter everyone !


xx.

Betty.
ALICE IN WONDERLAND WAS THE BEST EVER! =)

I think I've got the coolest family ever :)

I think one of my weaknesses is letting things go, especially sentimental things which were of extreme value. Because it's not about what they're worth in coins but about what they meant to me and how muchh I truly regret losing them...

so.

I think it's time I finally accepted the demise of two of my utmost favourite things all in the one, dramatic week:

1. My white converse shoes. I know you're out there somewhere on the stinking feet of some cheapo asian chick from our cheapo asian school but if you're listening: I'LL MISS YOU. True, you were only 8 chinese dollars but I'm so glad I took you under my wing and you're one of those sentimental things that can't be replaced. Screw the people who keep saying "but they were only blah blah blah dollars". WHICH IS WHY IT'S EVEN HARDER TO FIND A REPLACEMENT PAIR. Because you can't exactly find 8 dollar converse shoes in australia orright?

2. Missing You. You have been my motivation for coming to school for a whole 10 weeks. If I didn't have you my life would be shit as aye. In fact, I'm glad that on many occasions i rejected study for you. Too bad they cut you, and in the process, they cut me. Fml...


But I think I have explored the" aspects of filial relationships and the power of love over loss, exposing glimpses of compassion, love and rejuvination which permeate the predominant emotions of frustration and alienation. "

Such is lifeee.